Lady&#39;s undergarment



March 1945- G. A. FLETCHER LADYS UNDERGARMENT Filed Nov. 10, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fie .1

[\IVEN7'OE GzoEsE/l. FLETCHER flr-roknusvs 1945- s. A. FLETCHER LADYS UNDERGARMENT Filed Nov. 10, 1 42 2 Sheets-sheaf; 2

/IVVENTOE GEORGE ,4. FL Era/ER 5 .B fioo, Q24

A'CIORNEYs Patented Mar. 27, 1945 2,372,265 mor's UNDERGARMENT George A. Fletcher, Minneapolis. Minn, assignor.

to Munsingwear, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Delaware Application November 10, 1942,, SerialNo. 465,101

' 1 2 Claims. (Cl. 237l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates. to; new and: useful improvements in ladies undergarments, particw larly foundation garments. such as. all-in-ones. girdles, pantie girdles; corsets, brassieres; ban.- deaux; etc. i

In. the, construction f. foundation. garments;

. particularly of the. type which. utilize: shoulder straps. for supporting: them on the: body;. it has heretofore been. common practice. to embody in each shoulder: strap an: elastic' section, thereby to permit free. movement. of; the body without causing the shoulder straps to exert, undue pressure. on. the shoulders. Insome garments, the entire shoulder straps: have been made of elastic material. It; has also been. common. practice to utilize suitableelastics: for supporting the. garters in. order: to: allow free bending movement. or. the

body without; causing: undue. strains on, the. stock:-

ings andzlower, porti'onof thegarment.

It has recently become extremely dimcult: to obtain elastic; fabrics; for use in. the. menu-lecture o1? shoulder straps and for supporting: the: usual the garment without the use of conventional elastic; tapes. or straps, as has heretofore been common practice.

'A iuitther. object of the. invention is to provide a foundation garment comprising; a bust. supporting. portion. having: suitable elastic gores embodled. in the upper marginal edge=thereof,. which extend above the upper edges; of the garment andrare; provided with means for attaching the shoulder straps thereto.

A further object is. to provide a garment of i gcres. embodied: in the lower marginal; edge porsarters and hose fasteners, beca e f. restrictions placed on: suchmaterials: as a resultv of. the

trade as Power Net or Leno, which readily lends itself for use in the construction of the inset gores featured in this, application. The sizes of the various gores used in a garment, are

. such that the gores may readily becut from what hasheretofore been consideredas" scrap or waste material, resulting from cutting the usual front, back and side sections of the garment fromthe bolt, altho it is to be understood that the gores may be cut from any suitable material applicable for the purpose;

An important object 013: the present invention, therefore, is to provide in a garment of the class described; suitable means for securing the shoulder straps to the body: of the garment whereby adequate elasticity is provided in the shoulderstrapsv without using elastic material in: the: con:- SblllQtlOllr of the shoulder straps. themselves; and also. whereby the usual garters or hosesfastcne'rs tion thereof, which depend below thev bottom. edge or the garment,v and have garters or hose supporters: secured theretm. and. whereby said gores will; provide; elastic supports for. the. hose, and also permit horizontal stretch inthelower portion. of: the. garment. I

Other objects. of the invention reside in the unique: construction ott'the elastic gores and in the novel manner. of embodying them in the marginal" edge portions of the garment, whereby they may provide. elastic supports for shoulder straps: and garters; and also whereby they serve to provide added horizontal' stretch. in the garment: in. the provision of suitable elastic or stretchable elements in the marginal. edge. portions of a. garment for; attaching shoulder straps and. garters: thereto, which elements, are of: such sizes: that: they may: readily be. made from: scrap or waste material,, whereby greater economy is eifectedin the: manutacturefiof such garments; and; im the. provision of. suitable diamond-shaped goresz inthe:upper-and/onloweredges oi the garment, which. gores: may' serve to provide. flexible connections: between the shoulder straps and the body ofthei garment, and: also between the lower portion of the} garment and the garters: or hose fasteners: secured thereto, and which gores, in addition to providing elastic? or stretchable con.- nections for-shoulder strapsand garters, also serve to; provide. additional horizontal stretch in the garment to: allow for; body: movements.

Other objects of the invention. wilt appear may be. yield'ably secured to the lower edge; of rom t e: l n s ir i'orr and accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawings there has been disclosed astructure designed to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the exact features shown, as various changes may be made within the scope of the claims which follow.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view showing a full length garment having gores embodied in the bust sup porting portion therefor for connecting the front ends of the shoulder straps, thereto;

Figure 2 is a rear view of the upper portion of a garment showing the rear ends of the shoulder straps connected to elastic gores which, in addition to being stretchable in an up-and-down direction, may also be stretchable in a horizontal direction to permit horizontal stretching of the body of the garment;

Figure 3 is a view showing a foundation garment in which elastic gores are embodied in the lower front edge thereof for supporting the usual garters; and a Figure 4 is a view showing a pair of panties having gores embodied in the leg portions thereof for supporting the garters.

In the selected embodiment 'of the invention herein disclosed, there is illustrated in Figure 1, for purposes of disclosure, a full length foundation garment comprising a body portion 2 provided with a bust supporting portion 3. The lower portion of the garment is shown provided with the usual garters 4 and 5, and the upper portion of the garment is shown provided with shoulder straps 6.

In garments of this general type, it is essential that some degree of elasticity be provided in the shoulder straps to permit freedom of movement of the body without causing the shoulder straps to exert too much pressure on the shoulders. It has therefore been customary to construct each shoulder strap with a section of elastic tape, or the entire straps may have been made of elastic tape. Because of the scarcity of such material at the present time, I have conceived the idea of utilizing scrap or waste material for attaching one or both ends of each shoulder strap to the body of the garment. This scrap material, whichmay be obtained from the waste resulting when cutting the body sections from the usual bolt of fabric, are preferably made in the form of diamond-shaped gores, generally designated by the numeral 1 in Figure 1.

In all foundation garments it is essential that certain sections of the body of the garment as, for example, the side sections 8, be made of elastic material capable of stretching horizontally, and sometimes vertically. Power Net or Leno, which is commonly used in the manufacture of foundation and similar garments, has a high degree of elasticity in both directions, and adequately lends itself for use in the construction of the novel gores herein disclosed. It is to be understood, however, that the gores need not nec essarily be made of this particular fabric, as there are various other known fabrics on the market which are capable of stretching in one or two directions. and any such fabrics which are suitable and applicable for the purpose, may be utilized in the construction of the gores herein disclosed without departing from the scope of the invention.

ure 1, the gores I are more or less diamondshaped, and have their lower portions secured in re-entrant notches It] provided in the upper marginal edge portions of the bust supporting areas 9 of the garment, and are secured thereto by suitable stitching, indicated at H. The upper portions of the gores I extend considerably above the upper edges of the bust supporting sections 9, and may be provided with suitable buckles [2 for attaching the front ends of the shoulder straps 6 to the gores 1.

In a garment such as shown in Figure l, the gores 1 may be made from a suitable fabric which is stretchable in an up-and-down direction, as indicated by the arrows. whereby the gore connections between the shoulder straps and the body of the garment provide adequate elasticity for the shoulder straps to prevent the latter from .exerting undue pressure on the shoulders of the wearer, as a result of various movements of the body.

In Figure 2 I have shown the invention embodied in the rear portion of a garment. As here shown, suitable gores I3 are embodiedin the upper marginal edges of the waist portion of the garment and extend a considerable distance downwardly from the upper edge of the back of the garment. The upper portions of the gores l3 extend above the upper edge of the back of the garment, and the rear ends of the shoulder straps I4 may be suitably secured thereto as by stitching IS. The gores l3, shown in Figure 2, are preferably made from a suitable material which is stretchable both vertically and horizontally, as indicated by the arrows, whereby said gores, in addition to providing the necessary elasticity for the shoulder straps, also per.- mit additional horizontal stretch in the body of the garment, which is highly desirable in garments of this general type.

In Figure 3 the invention is shown embodied in the front of a foundation garment, generally designated by the numeral I6, comprising side sections l1 and a front panel I8. In the form here shown, the gores H! are embodied in the lower edge of the front panel 18, and are preferably made from a suitable elastic fabric which is stretchable both vertically and horizontally, as indicated by the arrows. In garments of the type shown in Figure 3, the side panel sections I! are usually made of a stretchable fabric, whereas the panel I8 is usually made from a non-stretchable fabric. The gores I9 embodied in the lower edge portion of the panel I8, therefore, provide additional horizontal stretch in the garment over the hips, as will readily be understood by reference to Figure 3, which, as hereinbefore stated, is highly desirable in garments of this type.

The lower ends of the gores l9 depend below the lower edge of the garment, and are provided with the usual hose fasteners 2|, well known in the art. Suitable garters 22 may be provided at the rear of the garment, as shown.

In Figure 4 I have shown the invention embodied in a garment of the pantie type, comprising a waist portion 23 and leg portions 24. In the garment here shown, suitable gores 25 are embodied in the lower edges of the leg portions 24, and extend upwardly into the leg portions a suitable distance. The lower ends of the gores 25 depend below the bottom edges of the leg portions 24, and

are provided with theusual hose fasteners 21 In the form of the invention as 'shownin Fig- 75 similar to those shown in Figure 3. Suitable garters or hose fasteners 5 similar to the ones shown in Figure 1 may be provided at side of the leg portions 24.

When the invention is embodied in a garment of the type shown in Figure 4', the fabric from which the gores 25- are made, need not necessarily be stretchable in a horizontal direction, but is stretchable in a vertical direction, as indicated by the arrows. If desired, however, the gores 25 may be made from two-way stretch fabric, as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

As hereinbefore stated, an im ortant feature of the present invention resides in the use of a suitable elastic fabric for supporting the shoulder straps or garters, and which fabric is made in the form of gores embodied in the marginal edge portions of the garment. The gores are stretchable in an up-and-down direction to provide the necessary elasticity for the shoulder straps and garters, and, when desired, may be made from two-way stretch fabric, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, to provide added horizontal stretch in the garment.

The warp elastic threads in woven fabrics or the elastic inlay threads in circular knit fabrics, may be so placed in the gores that when the gores are embodied in the garment, they may be horizontally disposed in the garment, or whereby they may be vertically positioned therein. If

the elastic threads in the gores are placed horizontally, more control is effected at the bottom or top of the garment, and if placed vertically, a

greater elastic tension is given to the pull of the The novel elastic goresherein disclosed, when used as a means for attaching garters to a garment, may be provided either at the front or the rear of the garment, as may be 'desired, whether in a one piece garment or in a pantie type girdle.

tion type, or they may be embodied in the top portion of what is commonly known as a bandeau. The gores may be located at the back of the garment or at the front thereof, and so arranged that when the shoulder straps are attached thereto, ample freedom of movement of the body is permitted without causing the shoulder straps to exert undue pressure on the shoulders.

Another advantage in the use of the novel gores herein disclosed for supporting garters and hose fasteners, resides in the fact that the lower edge portion of the garment may be made smoother and more comfortable to the wearer, because the bodies of the gores may be stitched to the fabric of the body of the garment by smooth seams, whereas heretofore it has been customary to attach the garters directly to the bottom seam or hem of the garment, thereby causing greater thickness at these points, which often would irritate the skin of the wearer, unless covered by plush or some other suitable anti-friction fabric.

It will also be noted that because of the wide spread of the gores in a horizontal direction, as

the opposite The gores may also be embodied in the top of garments of the all-in-one, or combinacompared to the ordinary garter elastics, these gores give a more equalized pull on the garment when attaching the hose thereto. Also because of the shoulderstraps being connected to the top edge of the garment by inset gores, a more equalized pull" is exerted on the garment by the shoalder straps, as will readily be understood. In other words, it has heretofore been common practice in garments of the one piece type, to fork the shoulder straps at the back, and in many instances, narrower forkswere necessary in the front in order to distribute the pull of the shoulderstraps over a wider area of the garment. When the shoulder straps in such a garment wer made of non-elastic material, as has been common practice, one fork would frequently carry substantially all the weight of the pull, which might result in damage to the garment or the shoulder strap. When using elastic gores such as herein disclosed, which have a relatively wide spread horizontally, the pull of the shoulder straps or garters on the body of the garment is spread over a much wider area, whereby the strains exerted on the garment by the shoulder straps or garters, are substantially equalized over a greater area of the garment.

The gores also provide a construction which readily lends itself for use with detachable garters or girdles, panties, or all-in-ones, whereby the garters may readily be detached from the garments to facilitate laundering, which is usually desirable.

The novel gores herein disclosed, in addition to providing supports for the garters, provide additional horizontal stretch in the garment whereby independent gores for this purpose, which are more or less common in foundation garments, may be dispensed with.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that I have accomplished at least the principal objects of my invention, and it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments herein described may be variously changed and modified, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and that the invention is capable of uses and has advantages not herein specifically described; hence it will be appreciated that the herein disclosed embodiments are illustrative only, and that my invention is not limited thereto.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a garment of the class described, a body portion, two-way stretch elastic gores embodied in the upper marginal edge portion of the garment and having their upper end portions extending well above the upper edge of the garment, the opposed edges of said upwardly extending gore portions inclining inwardly to provide freely stretchable elastic anchoring portions for shoulder straps, shoulder straps attached to the uppermost ends of said gores, and the lower portions of said gores extending well downwardly into the body of the garment to allow greater horizontal stretch in the upper portion of the garment and also serving to distribute strains exerted on the shoulder straps over a relatively greater area of the garment body.

2. In a garment of the class described, a body portion, two-way stretch elastic gores embodied in a marginal edge portion of the. garment and having their maximum widths disposed substan-,

tially at the edge of the garment with their long axes disposed in the general direction of the axis of said body, each gore having one end portion porting elements, and the opposite end portions of said gores extending well into the body of the garment to allow relatively greater circumferential stretch in the adjacent portion of the gar- 'ment, and also serving to distribute strains exrted on said anchoring portions by the supporting means over a relatively greater area of the arment.

GEORGE A. FLETCHER. 

